Thanks to substantial R&D investments across industries, applications of carbon fibre in automotive have been expanding in recent months
The last few months have seen an increasing number of manufacturers starting to experiment with the use of carbon-fibre in vehicle production. Cadillac’s ATS-V uses a carbon-fibre hood. Ford’s experimental-production GT has a carbon-fibre structure, as well as carbon-fibre wheels on the GT350R. Magna’s MMLV concept, based on the production 2013 Ford Fusion, uses mainly aluminium, but also carbon-fibre, magnesium and titanium.
But while the challenges and barriers to mass market entry for the material remain, they are starting to come down. With carbon-fibre 60% lighter than steel and 10 times stronger, the possibility of its use in mass production is undeniably attractive to carmakers as they look to weight reduction as a contributor to achieving ever tougher emissions targets.
Prohibitive cost is becoming less of a barrier
Cost has historically been the major hurdle to the widespread adoption of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). Despite the substantial reduction in the cost per kilo of carbon-fibre from USD330 in the 1970s to the current levels in the region of USD18-22 per kilo, CFRP based composites remain too expensive to justify widespread usage in a number of component areas and in lower segments of the automotive market. According to Hyundai the price per kilogram of CFRP would need to be in the region of USD15 in order to trigger mass production. The cost of processing the carbon-fibre-based fabric with resin – a process often similar to traditional moulding which corresponds to the last step in CFRP production – carries the highest price tag and is therefore the area where major cost savings need to be achieved, if CFRP have to make it into mass production for more cost-sensitive applications, such as automotive.
However, mass production methods and technological innovations brought about by its use in aircraft and wind turbines are helping. BMW has pioneered carbon-fibre usage in automobiles by extending the use of CFRP in its mainstream passenger-car ranges. SGL Group, the company partnering BMW in manufacturing CFRP for the i3 and the i8, said that the manufacturing costs of the components could fall by 70% from their current level over the next few years.
In addition to price issues, there have also been problems with supply and logistics of the necessary materials. BMW’s i3 had production issues in November due to a decline in raw material shipments from Japan. This stopped carbon-fibre production at BMW’s Moses Lake plant, in Washington, United States.
Nevertheless, many OEMs have been researching carbon-fibre use in light vehicle production, either through joint-ventures with existing manufacturers or research projects. In October, MAI Carbon Cluster Management GmbH (MAI), a BMW-backed research consortium, announced that it is nearing completion of its project which aims to reduce costs involved in large-scale manufacturing of cars made with lightweight carbon-fibre. MAI is progressing towards reducing carbon-fibre production costs by 90%.
Last week saw Ford and DowAksa – a 50:50 joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii A.Ş. – announced a partnership to develop low cost carbon-fibre components, while developing a viable, high-volume manufacturing process.
“This opportunity builds upon Ford’s current joint development agreement with Dow Chemical and accelerates our timeline to introduce carbon-fibre composites into high-volume applications,” said Jim deVries, Ford global manager, Materials and Manufacturing Research. “This collaboration helps us accelerate our efforts to create lighter automotive-grade composite materials that benefit customers by enabling improved fuel economy without sacrificing strength.”
The adoption of carbon-fibre as a mainstream material for car production could cause upheaval in both the carbon-fibre industry and the automotive supply base with the emergence of new suppliers. As OEMs push further R&D funds into its development, the emergence of a form of carbon-fibre that is suitable for mass production could be just around the corner.
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